88. Sūrat al-Ghāshiyah

٨٨۔ سُورَةُ الغاشِيَة

Qurʾān > Chapter 88
القرآن > كتاب ٨٨

The Overwhelming (Meccan)

quran:88:1 – In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming ˹event˺?  

Has there — ˹there has˺ indeed — come to you the tiding of the Enveloper?, the Resurrection, ˹so called˺ because it ‘envelops’ creatures with its terrors.
القرآن:٨٨:١ – بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْغَاشِيَةِ  

{هل} قد {أتاك حديث الغاشية} القيامة لأنها تغشى الخلائق بأهوالها.
quran:88:2 –

˹Some˺ faces, that Day, will be humbled,  

Some faces on that day — they ˹faces˺ are used to represent the individuals in both instances — will be humbled, abject,
القرآن:٨٨:٢ –

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَةٌ  

{وجوه يومئذٍ} عبر بها عن الذوات في الموضوعين {خاشعة} ذليلة.
quran:88:3 –

Working ˹hard˺ and exhausted.  

toiling, weary, tired and exhausted from the chains and fetters,
القرآن:٨٨:٣ –

عَامِلَةٌ نَاصِبَةٌ  

{عاملة ناصبة} ذات نصب وتعب بالسلاسل والأغلال.
quran:88:4 –

They will ˹enter to˺ burn in an intensely hot Fire.  

roasting (read taslā or tuslā) in a scorching fire,
القرآن:٨٨:٤ –

تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةً  

{تصلى} بفتح التاء وضمها {نارا حامية}.
quran:88:5 –

They will be given drink from a boiling spring.  

made to drink from a boiling spring, one of extremely hot temperatures.
القرآن:٨٨:٥ –

تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ آنِيَةٍ  

{تسقى من عين آنية} شديدة الحرارة.
quran:88:6 –

For them there will be no food except from a poisonous, thorny plant  

They will have no food except cactus (darī‘) — a type of thorn plant which no animal grazes on because of its vileness —
القرآن:٨٨:٦ –

لَيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ ضَرِيعٍ  

{ليس لهم طعام إلا من ضريع} هو نوع من الشوك لا ترعاه دابة لخبثه.
quran:88:7 –

Which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger.  

neither nourishing, nor availing against hunger.
القرآن:٨٨:٧ –

لَا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِي مِنْ جُوعٍ  

{لا يسمن ولا يغني من جوع}.
quran:88:8 –

˹Other˺ faces, that Day, will show pleasure.  

Other faces on that day will be delicate, fair,
القرآن:٨٨:٨ –

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاعِمَةٌ  

{وجوه يومئذ ناعمة} حسنة.
quran:88:9 –

With their effort ˹they are˺ satisfied  

pleased by their efforts, in the ˹life of the˺ world ˹expended˺ in obedience, ˹pleased˺ in the Hereafter upon seeing the reward thereof;
القرآن:٨٨:٩ –

لِسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌ  

{لسعيها} في الدنيا بالطاعة {راضية} في الآخرة لما رأت ثوابه.
quran:88:10 –

In an elevated garden,  

in a lofty Garden, ˹lofty˺ in a physical as well as an abstract sense,
القرآن:٨٨:١٠ –

فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ  

{في جنة عالية} حسا ومعنى.
quran:88:11 –

Wherein they will hear no unsuitable speech.  

in which they will not hear (read lā yusma‘u, ‘will not be heard’, or lā tasma‘u, ‘they will not hear’) any vanity, any inane soul, speaking drivel;
القرآن:٨٨:١١ –

لَا تَسْمَعُ فِيهَا لَاغِيَةً  

{لا يسمع} بالياء والتاء {فيها لاغية} أي نفس ذات لغوٍ: هذيان من الكلام.
quran:88:12 –

Within it is a flowing spring.  

therein is a running spring, of water, meaning ‘springs’;
القرآن:٨٨:١٢ –

فِيهَا عَيْنٌ جَارِيَةٌ  

{فيها عين جارية} بالماء بمعنى عيون.
quran:88:13 –

Within it are couches raised high  

therein are lofty couches, ˹lofty˺ in terms of their essence, their size and ˹physical˺ location,
القرآن:٨٨:١٣ –

فِيهَا سُرُرٌ مَرْفُوعَةٌ  

{فيها سرر مرفوعة} ذاتا وقدرا ومحلا.
quran:88:14 –

And cups put in place  

and goblets, vessels without handles, set, around the edges of the springs prepared for them to drink with,
القرآن:٨٨:١٤ –

وَأَكْوَابٌ مَوْضُوعَةٌ  

{وأكواب} أقداح لا عرى لها {موضوعة} على حافات العيون معدة لشربهم.
quran:88:15 –

And cushions lined up  

and cushions arrayed, one next to the other, against which they may lean,
القرآن:٨٨:١٥ –

وَنَمَارِقُ مَصْفُوفَةٌ  

{ونمارق} وسائد {مصفوفة} بعضها بجنب بعض يستند إليها.
quran:88:16 –

And carpets spread around.  

and carpets, rugs of velvet-hair, spread out.
القرآن:٨٨:١٦ –

وَزَرَابِيُّ مَبْثُوثَةٌ  

{وزرابيُّ} بسط طنافس لها خمل {مبثوثة} مبسوطة.
quran:88:17 –

Then do they not look at the camels - how they are created?  

Will they, the Meccan disbelievers, not consider, by way of reflection, the camels, how they are created?
القرآن:٨٨:١٧ –

أَفَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ  

{أفلا ينظرون} أي كفار مكة نظر اعتبار {إلى الإبل كيف خُلقت}.
quran:88:18 –

And at the sky - how it is raised?  

And the heaven, how it was raised?
القرآن:٨٨:١٨ –

وَإِلَى السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ  

{وإلى السماء كيف رُفعت}.
quran:88:19 –

And at the mountains - how they are erected?  

And the mountains, how they were set?
القرآن:٨٨:١٩ –

وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ  

{وإلى الجبال كيف نُصبت}.
quran:88:20 –

And at the earth - how it is spread out?  

And the earth, how it was laid out flat?, and thus infer from this the power of God, exalted be He, and His Oneness? The commencing with the ˹mention of˺ camels is because they are closer in contact with it ˹the earth˺ than any other ˹animal˺. As for His words sutihat, ‘laid out flat’, this on a literal reading suggests that the earth is flat, which is the opinion of most of the scholars of the ˹revealed˺ Law, and not a sphere as astronomers (ahl al-hay’a) have it, even if this ˹latter˺ does not contradict any of the pillars of the Law.
القرآن:٨٨:٢٠ –

وَإِلَى الْأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ  

{وإلى الأرض كيف سُطحت} أي بسطت، فيستدلون بها على قدرة الله تعالى ووحدانيته، وصدرت بالإبل لأنهم أشد ملابسة لها من غيرها، وقوله: سُطحت ظاهر في الأرض سطح، وعليه علماء الشرع، لا كرة كما قاله أهل الهيئة وإن لم ينقض ركنا من أركان الشرع.
quran:88:21 –

So remind, ˹O Muhammad˺; you are only a reminder.  

So remind, them of God’s graces and the proofs affirming His Oneness. For you are only an admonisher;
القرآن:٨٨:٢١ –

فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُذَكِّرٌ  

{فذكر} ـهم نعم الله ودلائل توحيده {إنما أنت مذكر}.
quran:88:22 –

You are not over them a controller.  

you are not a taskmaster over them (a variant reading ˹for musaytir˺ has musaytir, that is to say, ˹not one who has been˺ given authority over them) — this was ˹revealed˺ before the command to struggle ˹against the disbelievers˺.
القرآن:٨٨:٢٢ –

لَسْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِمُصَيْطِرٍ  

{لست عليهم بمصيطر} وفي قراءة بالسين بدل الصاد، أي بمسلط وهذا قبل الأمر بالجهاد.
quran:88:23 –

However, he who turns away and disbelieves -  

But he who turns away, ˹he who˺ rejects faith, and disbelieves, in the Qur’ān,
القرآن:٨٨:٢٣ –

إِلَّا مَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ وَكَفَرَ  

{إلا} لكن {من تولى} أعرض عن الإيمان {وكفر} بالقرآن.
quran:88:24 –

Then Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment.  

God will chastise him with the greater chastisement, the chastisement of the Hereafter, the lesser chastisement being that of this world, that of being killed or taken captive.
القرآن:٨٨:٢٤ –

فَيُعَذِّبُهُ اللَّهُ الْعَذَابَ الْأَكْبَرَ  

{فيعَذِّبه الله العذاب الأكبر} عذاب الآخرة والأصغر عذاب الدنيا بالقتل والأسر.
quran:88:25 –

Indeed, to Us is their return.  

Truly to Us will be their return, their coming back after death,
القرآن:٨٨:٢٥ –

إِنَّ إِلَيْنَا إِيَابَهُمْ  

{إن إلينا إيابهم} رجوعهم بعد الموت.
quran:88:26 –

Then indeed, upon Us is their account.  

then truly with Us will lie their reckoning, their requital, which We will never abandon. Meccan, consisting of 30 verses.
القرآن:٨٨:٢٦ –

ثُمَّ إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا حِسَابَهُمْ  

{ثم إن علينا حسابهم} جزاءهم لا نتركه أبدا.